When researching for This is a Book to Read with a Worm, I checked out all sorts of earthworm books for kids. Here are some of my favorites. Classroom teachers may want to grab the whole set for their worm explorations.
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer. This has always been one of my favorite worm books. The amount of information feels just right for 2nd-3rd grade, although it is a little long to read the whole thing out loud. I often read sections related to what we have looked at and talked about. And of course, illustrations by Steve Jenkins are always fun.
An Earthworm’s Life by John Himmelman. All of John Himmelman’s “Life of” books follow one organism as it goes about its day. They are great read-alouds from preschool on up, with short but accurate text and appealing illustrations.
The Worm by Elise Gravel. Elise Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series is aimed at elementary age, but it has been surprisingly popular with my middle-schoolers. The Worm is no exception. It is a little light on science; it’s more of a “factoid” book, lacking the context that make some of the facts meaningful. But the text is brief and the illustrations are appealing. Some of my students have enjoyed trying to draw based on her images.
The Life Cycle of an Earthworm by Bobbie Kalman. This book is geared to the older end of elementary school or for kids who are into details. It has in-depth science information and great photographs.
It’s a Good Thing There are Earthworms (Rookie Read About Science) by Jodie Shepherd. This is an older book, but a good one for early readers to tackle themselves (AR level of 3.1). It has short chapters and all of the text features for teaching about nonfiction book structure.
And, of course, I have to put a plug in for This is a Book to Read with a Worm. In this book, kids can explore the science of worms WITH a worm. They’ll learn about the life of worms while doing activities with their very own worm friend. Available at Bookshop.org and on Amazon.
Once Upon a Science Book 